Monday, January 30, 2006

Why I love the Red Sox (besides the footage of David Ortiz in 2005 spring training shouting "Give me the sticky-icky-icky!"):

Bill Simmons: My favorite "Manny being Manny" moment happened in the final game of the regular season -- he had just crushed a home run, the cameras caught you guys sitting next to one another in the dugout, he was talking excitedly about what pitch he had hit, and somewhere along the way, you just started staring at him in disbelief, as though he had just said something like, "I knew it was going to be a slider because I started craving a pork sandwich, and that always means a slider's coming!" And you just kept staring at him, and then he walked away to another part of the dugout, and you started shaking your head in shock like, "Wow, I will never, ever, ever figure that guy out." How many of those Manny encounters happen per season?

Curt Schilling: Three to four per day.

--from a recent interview with the latest right-wing Christian to unexpectedly win the hearts of Bostonians

My favorite "Manny being Manny" moment of the 2005 season (and there are many, of course) was probably the period of a few weeks in about May when he regularly wore David Ortiz's bright red #34 wrist bands--up around his elbows. It was very noticeable on TV. Another great moment--I can have two favorites, right?--was the interview Manny gave on the field right after the trade deadline game where he was like, "Man, you know, I love Boston, man. It's the place to be, man. It's great, man." I don't think Manny really speaks English.

I strongly suspect that many of my favorite Sox are right-wing Christians. But as Manny might say, whatever, man--they're great!